Tag: what is the best pet door?

So you’ve become your dog’s hero by deciding to get a dog door to allow more freedom of movement for Fido when he needs to do his 1s and 2s in the backyard, go outside and play when he wants to, and just all-around be his own dog… and for this amazing move, your furry best friend and I both salute you.

The benefits of getting a dog door are numerous: improving the quality of your dog’s life, giving both you and your dog more freedom, and preventing your dog from peeing on your carpet or furniture, just to name a few.

The Perfect Dog’s Review of Endura Flap Pet Doors

So, what makes the Endura Flap stand out among other pet doors in its class?

First of all, it’s one of the most durable pet doors available. At the Endura Flap factory, an Endura Flap pet door was tested with a machine that would open and shutter the pet door back and forth to see how many times it could open and shut before it broke down. They were able to perform this action over 3,000,000 times before the door failed.

This is an astounding number, and guaranteed to last the life of multiple dogs. If your dog used the Endura Flap 100 times a day, it would take 80 years before the door stopped working. The fact that it’s made in the USA is just the icing on the cake, knowing that you’re providing jobs for American businesses and workers.

Endura Flap doors are great for young, old, big or small dogs because it has a lower step-over height for entry and exit.

In addition, the door is designed in such a way that if the dog makes a sudden move in reverse while going through, the flexible flap’s solid, smooth bottom magnet strip rolls right off your dog’s back, preventing injury.

Endura Flap vs. Typical Dog and Other Pet Doors

The typical flap on a doggy door is usually soft vinyl or rubber, which means it expands at the top and the tensile strength of the material eventually wears out over time, causing it to tear open at the top and either fail completely or make a hole that lets the outside weather and bugs in.

Additionally, dogs will often pick one side of the dog door flap for regular entry and exit, causing uneven wear and tear on just one side, which eventually causes warping and bowing of the flap and dysfunction of the overall door after a few years.

Because it’s not vinyl and can withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, it will remain flexible unlike vinyl flaps which can become rigid at temperatures well above 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additionally, while the flap seems like it might be rigid because of the three cross supports going up the flap, it is actually quite flexible, and the cross supports are just there to ensure that repeated use does not compromise the integrity of any isolated section of the flap or cause it to collapse in the center.

The dual pane flaps are actually thicker than dual pane glass, so in reality you have about 4 layers of separation from the elements!

And yet, the material is safe, non toxic, and recyclable, unlike vinyl.

Of course one of the main reasons people get a dog or pet door in the first place is to avoid always having to open or close the door to let the dog out in the middle of the night and let the freezing cold air in.

The double flap version has 2 flaps separated by a few inches of space, and each flap is about 3/4 inches thick, thus creating a high amount of insulation between the inside of your home and the outside world. The double flap version is recommended for areas with extreme climates and for doors of larger thickness. However, even doors of lesser thickness can be built up to house a double flap model.

However, don’t think that the single flap version does not cut it when it comes to dealing with bad weather conditions. In a test of the medium size single flap model it was able to endure wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. But the single flap is ideal for doors of lesser thickness and more moderate climates.

Endura Flap Pet Doors and Home Security

In addition to this both models comes with locking covers that ensure no unwanted critters enter your residence, or when you just want lock everything down for a trip out of town. The locking covers are heavy duty Dimensional ABS plastic, but have the equivalent strength of 1/16th inches of steel!

The Downsides of the Endura Flap Door

No pet door is perfect, so we’ll give the 2 negatives we found in the Endura Flap dog doors.

The 1st is the color. It only comes in white, so if you have a darker door then the default white color might be off-putting for the aesthetics of your home. However, if it’s in the backyard and you don’t care, then it won’t be a problem. One work-around for this is that you can paint the Endura Flap frame and the flap the same color as the door and it fixes this completely.

The reason white was chosen was to prevent the usual fading of darker colors that can happen with repeated direct sun exposure, so there was a lot of thought put into the default color of Endura Flap to keep the product looking new year in and year out. Additionally, the door is treated with a UV protectant to keep sunlight from affecting its tensile strength over many hot, sunny days.

The 2nd issue with the Endura Flap pet door is the noise factor. Because it is such a heavy duty dog door and uses magnets to create a solid seal whenever the door closes, it creates some noise. This is not a problem if your doggy door is being installed in your back door, or maybe the door near your living or family room, but you may not want to install it in your bedroom door going out to the yard.

Unless of course, you are a heavy sleeper or don’t mind a little noise.

We ultimately don’t see the noise as being a problem or a factor that should prevent you from considering it among the top pet doors on the market. Winner of the Fancy Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award, we think you’ll find the Endura Flap Dog Door a good value for years to come, and your dog will appreciate having more independence with potty time.

For installation, it is recommended that you hire a contactor if you have any concerns with potentially ruining your door or wall. The money and time saved in the long run hiring a professional to do this might cost an extra buck or two, but will save you massive headaches and trips to Home Depot or Lowes picking out a new door!

However, for those who insist on DIY, here are some instructions on how to install an Endura Flap Dog Door!

How to Install an Endura Flap Dog Door

To install an Endura Flap Pet Door you’re going to need the following tools: